David J. Anderson | Frank Annunzio | Gregory A. Bedell | Paul Bryar | Cary Capparelli | Jan Donatelli | Sara Feigenholz | Mark Arnold Anderson | John Fritchey | Victor Forys | Tom Geoghagen | Deb Leticia Gordils | Tom Hanson | Daniel Kay | Carlos Monteagudo | Patrick J. O'Connor | Rosanna Pulido | Mike Quigley | Matthew Reichel | Simon Ribeiro | Jon Stewart | Roger Thompson | Charles Wheelan
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Fifth District: Three primaries, 22 candidates, no waiting
CHICAGO - The last time a non-Democrat won the right to represent Illinois’ 5th Congressional District in Washington, it was amid a political corruption scandal that would find one elected official indicted and leave thousands of voters clamoring for change.
Sound familiar?
That was 1994.
Republican Michael Flanagan ran against longtime Democratic Rep. Dan Rostenkowski, who was facing federal money laundering charges. Rostenkowski went on to spend 15 months in federal prison, and Flanagan became the first non-Democrat to represent the area in nearly three decades.
Fifteen years later, allegations of Democratic corruption have again thrust Illinois politics into the national limelight. That has some of the 23 candidates running in the March 3 special primary – Republicans, Greens and longshot Dems alike – hoping for a repeat of the “Flanagan fluke,” as some political observers have called it.
“Quite frankly, the voter outrage of what’s going on in Illinois is now greater than it’s ever been since I’ve lived in Chicago,” said one candidate, Democrat Paul Bryar, who has spent his life in the city.
Bryar has spent his first bid for public office touting his status as a political outsider and said the climate in the North Side district—and across Illinois—is right for change.
At least one of the other candidates, Republican Tom Hanson, agrees.
“People voted for Flanagan as a ‘no’ vote for Rostenkowski,” Hanson said. “It’s a parallel this time; a tremendous opportunity for me to win this seat. Don’t underestimate the backlash vote.”
Don’t tell that to Flanagan.
“There’s a lot more to being elected to Congress than just waiting for the Democrats to stumble,” said Flanagan, who served a single term in the U.S. House and now works as a political consultant in Washington, D.C.
“Foolish people think I was elected to Congress for that reason only.”
Dick Simpson, a former Chicago alderman who’s now the head of the political science department at the University of Illinois at Chicago, was unequivocal in his prediction for the race.
“Neither the Republicans nor the Greens are going to win this district in the general election,” Simpson said. “One of the Democrats will win the district.”
But there are a lot of Democrats running to be the one who will win.
We asked the candidates some questions. Here are their answers.
David J. Anderson
What do inorganic chemistry and quantum mechanics have to do with politics?
More than you might think, according to Republican David J. Anderson.
“My background is really more about problem solving,” said Anderson, who is the holder of six U.S. patents for things like chemicals that help clean up radioactive sites. “That’s what a Ph.D. chemist does, is solve technical problems.”
Anderson said he’s now making his first bid for public office to help clean up Washington.
“Illinois state government is broken now, and the same people who let it get broken are running for this office, so that got me angry,” he said.
Anderson said he faults the state’s Democratic political establishment for not blowing the whistle on the type of corruption he believes led to the indictment of former governor Rod Blagojevich.
“If [those lawmakers] are in Washington, and there’s some crooked stuff going on in Washington, I expect them to do the same thing.”
Aside from rooting out political corruption, Anderson said his other big issue is changing trade policies that he said have driven jobs out of Illinois.
He said there are factories in mainland China that “would not be able to operate in Illinois, because they don’t meet the standards that we put on our own domestic business. That is not a level playing field.”
Frank Annunzio
For 26 years, there was a Frank Annunzio from Chicago in Congress. He also served in Gov. Adlai Stevenson’s administration in the late 1940s, and he has a street named for him along Grant Park.
But that was a different Frank Annunzio, the one who was great uncle to the one running for Congress this time.
Candidate Annunzio says his great uncle’s name isn’t a factor in this race: “If I would have ran 20 years ago when he was last in office it would have been a factor.”
Candidate Annunzio is a Navy veteran who has worked for both the Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Housing Authority. His key issues are Social Security, immigration reform and veteran affairs.
What sets him apart in this crowded race? “Well, we’re Democrats. There is no real difference between us.”
Annunzio is a man with an immediate mission: “We should adopt clean elections that would take away the opportunity for the candidate to buy seats, as I believe people are doing in this race now. It’s the status quo, that’s how politics work and have for decades now, and I believe it’s time for a change.”
He identifies this as a problem that Illinois in particular is struggling with, but he has serious plans for wider issues as well: “I believe we need to save Social Security. I believe wholeheartedly in immigration reform and, being a Navy vet, veterans affairs are particularly close to my heart.”
Gregory A. Bedell
“I have the experience and character to support a return to Republican fundamentals,” said Republican candidate Gregory Bedell. Those are? “Low taxes, responsible spending and reasonable regulation.”
He said he believes in job creation, education improvement and immigration reform, and that “politics, not personalities, are what matter.”
However, this doesn’t stop Bedell, a self-professed Constitution aficionado, from saying that he would have more than his immediate political views to offer the people of the 5th district were they to elect him.
“I also offer the people of this district my character,” Bedell said.
Paul J. Bryar
Democrat Paul Bryar said he knew it was time to run for Congress when his patients starting splitting their pills in half to save money.
“This is something that’s happening because of flawed policies in Washington,” said the 41-year-old Democrat, a practicing ophthalmologist who teaches at Northwestern Medical School.
Bryar said he supports President Barack Obama’s health care plan, which would institute government-sponsored health care while allowing people to keep their private plans if they wish.
In addition, Bryar hopes his outsider candidacy will bring attention to the fact that Washington needs more non-politicians.
“If [voters] can send somebody with an independent voice and an agenda that’s their own, that just doesn’t resonate in Illinois, it resonates nationwide,” he said. “That’s what these tough times are crying for.”
Bryar, in a dig at the four candidates who hold other offices, said recent corruption in Illinois is the result of the political establishment.
“If we keep electing the same kind of people to different offices, we’ll get the same results, which are high taxes, high debt and people who are interested in their own political career.”
Cary Capparelli
There’s another familiar name in the race. In 1970, Ralph Capparelli went to Springfield as a state representative. He served for 24 years. Now his son, Cary, is hoping some of the same voters who supported his father will send the son to Washington.
Here’s what Cary Capparelli had to say about his campaign:
“I think the district has been misrepresented. It has been dominated by lakefront liberals. The district is more moderate than that, and I’m the only moderate Democrat in the race.”
His No. 1 issue? Homeland Security. “It has become underrated. People have forgotten 9/11 and don’t realize that one attack could destroy the country. I’m also a big proponent of campaign finance reform. I think, by the way, this is an area where journalists have lost their integrity. They whine and whine about campaign finance reform, and then they only cover candidates with money.”
Can you win? “Absolutely.”
How? “We did not try to mass cover the district but instead targeted the 10 most likely groups we think we can get. Italians. Poles. The Hispanic community. Thirty-one percent of the district is Mexican, and Mexicans are more moderate people.”
Why Cary Capparelli? “I’ve sat at some of these candidate forums and have been amazed by the amount of B.S. I hear. Some people can get up and talk for 30 minutes about an issue that could be summed up in five words. A lot of people never take sides – they say what’s popular at the time. That’s not me. I’ll always tell you straight.”
Jan Donatelli
“My top issue is the economy,” said Democrat Jan Donatelli. “In D.C., we have a lot of leaders who have a track record of posturing – we can’t just talk about doing something. We have to do something.”
“I think we have to spend our money wisely, on infrastructure,” the commercial airline pilot said. “It’s the backbone of our economy, and with the 5th District being so close to O’Hare, I think revitalization is key. O’Hare is a bottleneck for air transit and cargo right now.”
“I think the top issue, however, is the foreclosure crisis,” Donatelli said. “Something that we can do immediately is deal with that, working with the banks and the foreclosure judges together.”
Donnatelli said she wants to use the office to develop short-term opportunities that can evolve into a long-term, green solution for jobs and the economy. Donatelli said that if she gets to Washington, D.C., she plans to be one of the only representatives with open and published office hours. “I’m going to be a representative for the people.”
Sara Feigenholtz
Kevin Franck, a spokesman for Democratic candidate Sara Feigenholtz said, “Sara is running because she believes she is the right candidate at the right time to go to Washington and partner with President Obama to get things done for the district. She learned from her mother, who emigrated from Eastern Europe and became a doctor, that serving the public is a higher calling.”
What’s her top issue? “One of Sara’s proudest achievements was the work she did with Barack Obama to expand the Family Care Program to provide health care to more than 200,000 children. She also fought insurance companies and required them to pay for annual mammograms for women over 40, which helped reduce the mortality rate from breast cancer in Illinois by 14 percent.”
What separates her from the pack? “She has the right message for right now. Sara has a strong record of getting things done for people and rising above political bickering. None of Sara’s opponents can match her record on that.”
Why should people vote for her? “Right now President Obama needs a partner in Washington who will lift people up, not throw them down. We must put political gamesmanship aside.”
How is the race looking? “We are in a very strong position. Sara has built a strong ground game. She has 500 volunteers making calls and knocking on doors. She’s raised $900,000 from 2,000 supporters. And she has support from groups like Emily’s List who echo her message and provide boots on the ground.”
Mark Arnold Fredrickson
Website
(unofficial)
Green Party candidate Mark Arnold Fredrickson said he believes the major issue is the economy: There should be more transparency with banks and the market should be allowed to decide the value of bank balance sheets.
While he praises opponent Charles Wheelan’s view about the economy and believes that the two of them are the only ones focusing on the real issues, people should vote for him, not academic Wheelan, because Fredrickson has real-world experience as a financial analyst and understands how decisions are made in the economic sector.
He said he thinks he has a chance to win because the Democrats are going to beat up on each other and leave an opening for outside candidates in the Green and Republican Party.
On Fritchey and Feignholtz: “The economy is brand new ground for them.”
John Fritchey
“I was one of the last Democrats to get in [to the race],” said John Fritchey, a state representative. “While others were consulting fundraisers, I was talking with members of Congress to see what kinds of things I could do as a freshman congressman to make an impact. Plus, it’s an opportunity to serve with the president, whom I started my political career with, in a time of unique challenge.
His No. 1 issue? “The economy. I think that’s everyone’s – or it should be everyone’s – No. 1 issue. Everything flows from that. We’ve got to get the economy sound so we can get people to work, get them access to affordable health care, get their kids a quality education, and get city and state government in order.”
What separates you in this crowded field? “People need someone right now who can roll up their sleeves and get right to work.”
What will it take to win? “I’ve got a good hunch that if we can get more votes than anyone else, we’ll win. In all seriousness, though, there’re two parts: getting our message out and getting our supporters to the polls.”
And what is your message? “That I’m a legislator that has worked to clean up government, to get people work, to get kids a good education and to fight the property tax burden. I’ve promised a lot and I’ve delivered.”
Victor A. Forys
When asked what got him into the race, Democrat Victor Forys said, “I just couldn’t take it anymore. I’ve been a doctor in Illinois for 25 years, and I’ve never seen it this bad. People are getting sick and we’ve got nowhere to send them. I listen to C-SPAN, and it’s obvious to me that the people in Washington are just missing the target.”
Healthcare, naturally, is his issue. “I’m the person with the most real-life expertise in healthcare. I get my experience from 25 tears working in medicine – not because my parent was a doctor. And I get my experience in business because I own my own business – not because my uncle was an alderman.”
Why should people vote for you? “I’m a community doctor, a small-business man and an immigrant. I understand people without papers. Forty percent of the people in the district speak a foreign language at home. Most of my patients speak foreign languages, and those are the issues that matter to them.”
What separates you from the other candidates? “I’m the only real reformer. My opponents say they are reformers. Phony baloney. They’re running for the prestige, the better job. I would take a pay cut to go to Washington. They would get a pay raise.”
Tom Geoghegan
Tom Geoghegan said a friend once described him best: “There are other people with a progressive agenda. You are the true progressive.”
Geoghegan's priorities fall closely in line with his 30-year career as a labor attorney: economic services to working people, increasing social services and single-payer healthcare.
“I’m the only one [of the candidates] who has said it’s not just an option it’s the only alternative,” he said of his health care reform.
As for standing out among the candidates, Geoghegan said he’s the only one who has brought a Washington agenda to the table. “I’ve been very specific [about] what I’m going to do,” he said. “The purpose is not to just point to my record, but to tell people what needs to be done in this country to get us out of this mess.”
Deb Leticia Gordils
Website
(unofficial)
Green Party candidate Deb Leticia Gordils said her issues are immigration and women's rights.
She said her values and issues won’t get her elected on Tuesday, because the primaries are about the big-name generalities. What will get her attention on Tuesday are things such as being a woman, a minority and that old standby: having her name at the top of the ballot.
“If I win on Tuesday,” she said, “it’s not going to be, ‘Wow all these people really like my values,’ but I really believe you can be anyone at this point in the Green Party, but its better to be one who can lead.”
As for her chances in the general election, Gordils said the state’s political scandals are getting the best of Democratic voters. The Green Party is counting on crossover voters who are tired of the Machine’s slippery tendencies. “The race is really not about the candidate,” she said, “but so much about the frustrations. Especially with the Roland Burris situation adding more fuel to the fire.”
Tom Hanson
One thing that sets Republican candidate Tom Hanson apart from the others is that he already knows what it’s like to lose this race. He’s done it. In November. By a landslide.
What’s changed? “For starters, there’s no Rahm this time,” Hanson said.
That may be true, but there are a handful of better-known candidates, who are Democrats in a district that routinely elects Democrats, on the ticket. Hanson, a commercial real estate agent, said he welcomes the challenge.
“Every day I go up against 20,000 other commercial real estate brokers in this city competing for the same thing,” he said. “This will be a piece of cake.”
And Hanson sees Illinois' recent spate of corruption as his way in. “Even die-hard Democrats have to be looking around and realizing it’s time to cut the cord," he said.
Daniel Kay (Karkusiewicz)
(no website)
Who is Republican candidate Daniel Kay? Well, for starters, that’s not his real name.
He was born Daniel Karkusiewicz (Kar-ka-she-vitch) , son of a French mother raised in Poland and a German father raised in Belgium. He grew up in Chicago’s Polish Triangle in West Town and his name means “heir to strong neck” – fitting, he says, for someone not afraid to…
“Public service takes a strong will, somebody who’s not afraid to sacrifice a little to fulfill a duty,” he said.
He has shortened his name to something easier to pronounce – and, he hopes, easier to remember at the voting booth.
A resident of Northlake, Kay has promised to pay more attention to the suburban edges of the district, which he accused Emanuel and former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who held the seat from 1996 to 2002, of ignoring.
He said tax cuts and strengthening highways, bridges and railroads are his top priorities. His sales pitch: “I’m an average guy,” he said.
He drives a pickup, owns a motorcycle, has tattoos, and says he’s never more comfortable than when he’s in jeans and work boots.
“The vast majority of the 5th district is working-class blue-collar, and the people trying to represent them are attorneys and college professors and doctors," he said. “Is there a place for them in the government? Yes. It’s called the Senate.”
Carlos Monteagudo
“I used the schools as a pathway out of poverty,” said Democratic candidate Carlos Monteagudo, 47. “I’ve experienced poverty and immigration and public housing and the broken public school system – and I know how much of a disaster the systems are. [The other candidates] have no clue because they don’t live it … What makes a difference, as a politician, is how connected you are with the community you’re serving. And I’m connected.”
Monteagudo, a Harvard-trained psychiatrist, runs a small non-profit in Chicago and works as a doctor on the weekends. He said that he fears that the largely-Latino area west of Western Avenue in the Fifth District is underrepresented. He said he hopes to change that.“I’m advertising on Spanish radio,” he said. “I want to help, to reach out to those candidates west of Western Avenue.”
Monteagudo said his strength is in his training – as well as his experience. His issue: healthcare. “I know what it’s like as a doctor, to waste half of your energy filling out paperwork – and I’ve seen when patients can’t afford their medications, or have to choose between medicine or food.”
And, he said, he is uniquely able to form coalitions amongst his peers: he spent three years as a Kellogg National Leadership Fellow. “I know how to bring people together,” he said. “I can bring people across difference to make change happen.”
Patrick J. O'Connor
Patrick J. O’Connor, a longtime Chicago alderman for the 40th Ward, is running as the inside man in a race lousy with candidates tripping over each other to play up their outsider status.
For O’Connor to claim outsider status would be a stretch: He has spent a quarter-century as the 40th ward’s alderman and is widely known as Mayor Richard M. Daley’s inside man on the City Council.
O'Connor said he has embraced his connections and experience, and said they would be an asset in Washington.
"I think a lot of people have reinvented themselves for this race, and I’ve never been the type of person to do that," he said, "I've learned how to work collaboratively at all levels of government, and to run away from those friendships and relationships, just to be trendy, would be disingenuous."
O'Connor said his commitment to his constituents distinguishes him from a crowded field. He played up his leadership role in persuading Tempel Steel not only to keep its North Side plant open, but to bring 350 jobs from its Libertyville plant here.
Education would be a top priority for a Washington-bound O'Connor. He said he has spent almost all of his time on the City Council as chair of the education committee, and is a member and onetime chair of the Institute for Youth, Education & Families in the National League of Cities. He said No Child Left Behind needs reforms to account for the challenges and needs of specific school districts. "The federal government should be looking to assist schools, not assess them," he said.
He pointed to Northside College Prep, which is consistently among the top high schools in the nation. "It is an example of what a Chicago public school can be and can do," he said of the school, for which he helped secure funding in 1999.
"If you’re looking at what a congressman does, dealing with big-scale issues while working to create an environment that lets the district thrive, I have a record that is unsurpassed," he said. "Look at what I've done in City Council."
Rosanna Pulido
You may know already Republican candidate Rosanna Pulido. A simple Google search of her name shows that she has become one of the loudest voices against illegal immigration in Chicago.
Pulido, the only woman in the Republican field, said she’s not afraid of a fight. In that case, should we be worried about her fervent support of gun ownership? No, but as she put it, “Somebody has to stand up.”
“I’m not just showing up on their doorsteps saying, ‘Will you give me your vote.’ I’ve done the work. I’ve fought the hard fight. I’ve been a voice even when it made me unpopular.”
Unpopular? Being Mexican-American and adamantly opposing illegal immigration has garnered a fair share of criticism. Yet Pulido is undeterred in her aggressive campaigning for the rights of Chicago’s senior citizens and taxpayers.
“For me, Congress is the next step to do what I’ve already done: Fight for the rights of gun owners, senior citizens, Illinois workers and taxpayers.”
Mike Quigley
“All the issues that I care about at county – health care, the environment, transparency, etc. – all those issues play out on a larger scale at the federal level.”
That’s Cook County Commissioner and aspiring Democratic Congressman Mike Quigley talking.
His No. 1 issue? “The issue people care most about is the economy. The issue I talk about the most is transparency. President Obama, when he talked about why the TARP legislation didn’t work, talked about the lack of transparency. When I talk to people on the streets, they want reform – and a lot of that is about transparency. [Justice Louis] Brandeis once said the best disinfectant for government is sunshine.”
Why Mike Quigley? “I went into the race with name recognition – people identified with me as a reformer. The endorsements from the Chicago Tribune and the Sun-Times helped separate me from the field.”
How do you see the race playing out? “I see it as a continuation of the first poll, which showed me ahead. Nobody has done anything to catch up.”
Why should people vote for you? “The issue for two years in the last presidential race was change – and it still is. I was a catalyst for transparency and change before it was fashionable.”
Matthew Reichel
By describing himself as the only peace activist in the race, Green Party candidate Matthew Reichel said that experience sets him apart from the others.
“I have a background of organizing within the anti-war community over the last decade. Progressive voters can trust me,” Reichel said. “As someone with experience lobbying congress [on anti-war issues] I think I will be an effective legislator.”
It may be an uphill battle, but Reichel said money won’t win the race. “The fact that we don’t have hundreds of thousands of dollars behind us [as the Democrats do] doesn’t mean we don’t have the support,” Reichel said. “There is heightened disillusion with the Democratic Party and I think we will be effective in wooing progressive voters.”
Simon Ribeiro
It’s a big race, and Green Party candidate Simon Ribeiro has big plans.
Ribeiro wants to nationalize the banking system, and in doing so, "move toward a debtless and taxless economic system."
Some of his more moderate goals encompass a "single-payer healthcare system and a school system where there is actual accountability and strong discipline," but it is his "holistic and revolutionary approach as far as our monetary system is concerned" that is the real pet project of this violinist's political campaign.
Ribeiro’s relation to the voter may also be atypical. He is relying on social media to pull him through to the finish line, if not of the entire campaign, then at least Tuesday’s primary vote.
“I’m confident that those voters will vote for me and overlook who raised more money and put more ads out … I’ll deliver my message through bulk email and networking sites. The internet is an amazing tool and it bypasses the traditional media.”
But even if he doesn’t win, you’ll be seeing more of Ribeiro than you think.
“Even if I don’t win, the fact that I ran bodes well for me and my cause … I’m building inroads for the future."
Jon Stewart
“I’m frustrated with where the government is going – this country and the economy have nosedived – and things aren’t going to change,” Republican candidate Jon Stewart said. “I don’t know when people are going to make a stand.”
“My major issue is the economy – stimulating it – spending money on it. I’m in favor of resetting everyone’s mortgage down to 4 percent and backing it with government money,” Stewart said. “The banks have to think less interest is better than none – $200-$500 back into their pockets – all while getting people to stay in their houses.”
“After Tuesday, I don’t know what party I’ll be aligned with. This is my last election – I’m in the business of making decisions that make an immediate effect and I don’t see that in politics. I don’t see an opportunity to have an affect on anything you believe in – I’m very frustrated.”
“I will go to my political death testifying to the fact that if the American people fail to pay attention to the bottom of the ballot, then the political revolution that we should have won’t happen – and this country is over.”
Roger Thompson
Write-in candidate Roger Thompson’s political journey began five years ago at a bar in Wrigleyville, when he shook Barack Obama’s hand.
“When he shakes your hand, he means it,” said the 40-year-old who is making his first bid for public office. “I came home and told my wife, ‘I met this guy tonight that had people sitting on the edge of his seat, and he wasn’t a snake-oil salesman.”
Thompson began paying attention to Obama and said the message he preached during the presidential bid inspired him to run.
“I’m still focusing on the fact that people want change,” he said. “They don’t want these egomaniacs telling them how good they are and how they’re going to fix it.”
Aside from reform, the longtime real estate agent said his other big issue is solving the housing crisis.
Thompson said preventing people from losing their homes is the key to solving the economic crisis, and he’s upset that more federal stimulus money isn’t being spent to do that.
“Before they create jobs and build highways to nowhere, they’ve got to say, ‘Wait a second. Nobody gets kicked out of their house,’” he said. “You’ve got to protect the American people. With a roof over their heads, that will give them their consumer confidence.”
Charles Wheelan
“The economy is my No. 1 issue,” said Democratic candidate Charles Wheelan, a professor of public policy at the University of Chicago. “I’m uniquely qualified among these candidates to address these issues.”
“I think substance matters first,” he said. “I’m in favor of the stimulus package, though I think it is a mediocre-to-poor bill. I think we need more long-term infrastructure too, because it affects our productivity as a whole.”
“We have to consider effectiveness in our spending,” Wheelan said. “We’re spending a lot on transportation, but we have to be aware of the point – how to get results.”
“I think that something has to be developed in conjunction with the bill to measure results,” he said. “We need to score the projects relative to their success, and make sure that we’re not dumping money into stupid goals. The money should be put into metropolitan areas, where we all live these days, where it can do the most good.”
“I think I have a better chance in this race than I would in any other,” Wheelan said. “There’s truly no frontrunner in the race,” he said. “I think one of the reasons is the blowback from, first, Blagojevich, then, Burris. It’s a great time to not already be a local official, to be new blood. It seems like people want someone who’s thoughtful and smart.”
“I attribute that to Obama,” he added. “He spoke to people as if they’re intelligent. I think people like that.”